By LARRY VAUGHT
Junior Jon Hood was coming off an 18-point performance in the Blue-White Game but he didn’t get into Thursday’s exhibition game until the final four minutes when
Calipari brought him and Jarrod Polson into the game together. However, after the game Calipari vowed that Hood would play more in Monday’s exhibition against Transylvania.
Calipari said he wanted to see how his top seven players would mesh in this game before going to Hood or Polson, another junior.
Now I’ve got to figure out if we can stick in Jon Hood, which I’m going to do against Transy. I told him and Jarrod (Polson) I’ve got to go with these seven, and I’ve got to go figure out stuff. We’re so far behind,” Calipari said. “But I told him, now seeing that Alex (Poythress) just didn’t have the energy to finish the game.
“That means that maybe we shove Jon Hood in there three or four minutes a half while we’re playing and that’s a rotation where he goes in, and we will look at that against Transy. And Jon Hood is way better, because he is playing within himself. He’s playing the way coaches tell him to play and the way I know he should play. So he’ll be fine.”
Calipari noted how he got a text earlier in the day from Eloy Vargas, who played sparingly on UK’s championship team last year but is now contemplating where to play professional basketball this year, wishing the Cats luck and thanking him for “everything” the coach had done for him. The text noted that he did not play a lot, but just being at UK “helped me to where I’m trying to go, and I just want to thank you.”
Calipari wants Hood to feel like that with his role.
“That means he (Vargas) knows, yes, I want him to play more, but we care about him, that this is more than just the guys who are playing. I want Jon Hood to feel that way. People around him might be mad he’s not playing more. That’s how it is. But I want him to know we care and that we’re trying to make him better.”
5 Responses to Calipari says Jon Hood will play more against Transylvania on Monday
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I will be glad to see Jon getting some quality time Monday. I think he is going to surprise a lot of people this season and be a solid 8th man. I think he is very eager to get an opportunity to show he belongs.
“But I told him, now seeing that Alex (Poythress) just didn’t have the energy to finish the game”. Is he just playing too hard early, or is this a deeper issue with his conditioning?
I am very happy with this team and the direction I see them going. It gives me a little jolt every time I think about how special I believe they will be by season’s end. This is just going to be an incredible amount of fun.
Maybe Cal was just testing just patience’s too. One thing I have learned, Cal does nothing by accident
Building Motivation, I was thinking the same thing…instead of playing nervous, now Hood will Play with an edge, hopefully .
3 minutes at the end of a blow out is hardly a fair measuring stick for a player, but I thought Hood accounted for his 3 minutes very well, and I believe he deserves a more sustained opportunity to play in the heart of the ball game. When he gets that opportunity, I believe he will respond well.
I think back to the 2010-11 season when in the first half or more of the season, we did not have enough depth and loss some games late that we should have and could have won. They were very tired at the end of games. I think Cal knows he will need Jon at least 8-10 minutes a game this season. He is the only player on the team that can play the 2 and the 3. Mays is a pure 2, WCS can play 4 or 5. Kyle is a pure 4, Jon Hood is the only player that can give Alex a break without creating a mismatch on the fioor.
His minutes will be highly valued this season. I believe he is ready to contribute important minutes in every game and Cal knows it.